Editorial: Bisard trial blunder: What was IMPD thinking?

Allen County Superior Judge John Surbeck, who is presiding over the trial of Indianapolsi police officer David Bisard,

The Allen County judge presiding over the David Bisard trial could hardly have been more blunt about the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's latest blunder in the case. "This is about as unprofessional as anything I've ever seen," Judge John Surbeck said from the bench Wednesday.

The judge was reacting to the revelation that an IMPD officer assigned to monitor the trial had sent email summaries of developments inside the courtroom to a potential witness, Deputy Chief Val Cunningham, and four other high-ranking public safety officials.

Legal opinions vary on possible repercussions of the error. One prominent local attorney, Jack Crawford, says it could lead to a mistrial. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry, however, contends that it might amount to "much ado about nothing."

Regardless of the outcome, it's outrageous and unacceptable that IMPD once again could be so careless in its handling of this high-profile, highly sensitive case.

IMPD has badly bungled the Bisard case from the start. The errors in procedure and judgment began in August 2010 when Bisard, a 12-year veteran of the force, plowed his patrol car into a group of motorcycle riders stopped at a traffic light. One person was killed and two seriously injured. A blood-alcohol test wasn't administered on Bisard until hours after the accident, and then by a potentially unqualified medical assistant. Bisard even was allowed to stop at a convenience store to buy a soft drink before the blood test was taken. And serious questions were raised about chain-of-evidence procedures followed once the blood sample was drawn.

That blood sample, prosecutors say, showed that Bisard had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit after the accident. He's standing trial in Fort Wayne on reckless homicide, drunken driving and other charges.

Mayor Greg Ballard and Public Safety Director Troy Riggs need to demand a full accounting of how this error in judgment could have occurred. And IMPD Chief Rick Hite needs to ensure that nothing like it happens again.

The Indy police department's reputation was severely damaged on that August day three years ago, first by David Bisard's alleged crimes and then by the botched investigation. Sadly, this latest blunder only adds to the unfortunate drama surrounding a case that has inflicted so much damage on the image of the department and its many good officers who put their lives on the line every day protecting our city.

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Editorial: Bisard trial blunder: What was IMPD thinking?

The Allen County judge presiding over the David Bisard trial could hardly have been more blunt about the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's latest blunder in the case. '